This invention relates to the use of a planing enhancement system for inflatable sportboats. Planing enhancement systems such as trim tabs and drive unit lifting plates are known to improve the stability and planing performance and weight carrying capacity of motor boats. Such systems are permanently attached to the boat or drive unit of an outboard and can either affect the storage or out of the water transport of an inflatable sportboat or outboard motor. For this reason they are somewhat limited in size and lift potential. Most trim tab and lifting plates also retain their wetted surface area and wetted surface drag at high or maximum planing speeds. These system lose efficiency at high speeds when less wetted surface area is required for the desired amount of lift for planing. One example of a system that eliminates wetted surface area by totally unsubmerging it""s surface area is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,436. The planing surface or hull extension is placed at an appropriate distance above the hull bottom surface. A xe2x80x9cstepxe2x80x9d effect is featured whereby the surface area is not in contact with the water once planing commences.
It is the general object of the present invention to provide a planing enhancement system for an inflatable sportboat, to provide the advantages of similar existing systems and exceeding performance on an inflatable sportboat without the disadvantages and limitations.
It is a further object to the present invention to provide a planing enhancement system with a proportionally large planing surface area that provides substantially more lift or increased planing weight capacity than existing trim tabs or drive unit limiting plates for an inflatable sportboat.
It is a further object to present invention to provide a planing enhancement system that attaches and detaches from the transom of an inflatable sportboat while in the water and won""t affect it""s storage or that of the outboard motor.
It is a further object to the present invention to provide a planing enhancement system that is ventilated with air from the top leading edge to reduce it""s wetted surface area and drag at high planing speeds.
These and other features and objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken with the accompanying drawings and claims, of which: